Task: Write about two canon characters that love/hate each other.
Prompt: (Dialogue) "What do you want from me?"
(1,094 words)
Lily walked down the corridor in her new school robes. Her parents had sent them the day before with an added note from Petunia. School had been going well for her sister and it had made her glad. Lily hadn't fared well in the first few weeks at Hogwarts- unaccustomed to not having her sister by her side. But now she was doing a lot better and apparently Petunia was too.
She sat down at the Ravenclaw table for breakfast- her best friend was in Slytherin and she was in Gryffindor. He wasn't comfortable sitting on her table and she wasn't comfortable sitting at his. It was a shame that barely anyone deviated from their house tables- she liked standing out but she couldn't help but feel she was standing out in a bad way by sitting at the table that wasn't meant for her.
She shook her head- she couldn't force Severus to sit at a table with the people that teased him daily and she most certainly wasn't going to sit with those creeps in Slytherin. All of them obsessed with dark magic and nonsense like 'blood-purity'. From where she was sat she could see little groups within the house- all huddled and hunched and she shivered. It was hard to imagine Severus hanging around with people like that. Yet he did. Sometimes anyway. He even blended in despite her knowing he wasn't as bad as the rest of them. Frowning, Lily thought back to when she had started school. She had promised herself she wouldn't buy into all this 'house defining who you are' rubbish. But she was beginning to see why the stereotypes were there, even though she didn't want to. Her other friends always referred to the Slytherins as 'slimy' and 'sly'- picked up from the infamous James Potter and Sirius Black. A duo that were going to drive her to a grade T with their distracting behaviour in the common room. She couldn't stand either of them- big-headed and inconsiderate. Especially to Severus, who they teased relentlessly. She wished she could stop it, she honestly did. She'd spoken to Professor McGonagall and had even asked Headmaster Dumbledore to speak to the imbeciles. Neither of them seemed to have done anything as the interruptions to her walks with Severus continued and the confrontations in the corridors seemed to be more frequent than ever. She absolutely hated to think it but wizarding teachers were as incompetent as muggle teachers when it came to dealing with bullying. It was ridiculous.
A cup of tea and two slices of toast appeared before her and she picked up the toast- nibbling on the corner as she waited for Severus to appear. She didn't really speak to anyone in Ravenclaw but Severus insisted they sit at their table because, "Hufflepuffs are a bunch of softies- they're the last house I want to sit with."
Severus appeared just as she was finishing her first slice of toast and slid onto the bench next to her. "Sorry I'm late," He said breathlessly.
Lily smiled, "It's alright, I didn't mind." Though internally she knew she did.
"I just popped into the potions classroom to see if Slughorn stored my sleeping draught properly." He said with a quick smile her way. His smile transformed his face; she wished he'd do it more often.
"Professor Slughorn," She reminded him and he rolled his eyes. "And did he?" She asked teasingly.
"No," He said with a snort. "The way he stored it meant it would only last three days. I put a cooling charm on it and put it at the back of the cupboard, upside-down. That way it's going to last three weeks." Lily almost spat her tea out in surprise.
"I'm surprised he's even a potions teacher. He must be an absolute buffoon if he made a blunder that big. Imagine if he worked at St. Mungo's- all the healing potions would be off before anyone got to use them." Severus laughed; it was a hoarse laugh, still tinged with a hint of sleep.
"'Professor Slughorn'" He imitated, "Says the one who called him a buffoon."
Lily feigned outrage, "Well it's only because you're such a bad influence."
Severus snorted again. This was one of the few times that hadn't been invaded by Potter's snide comments or 'pranks' and she relished it. "What can I say; the sly Slytherin within me can't help but turn you to the dark side." She giggled at the obvious reference to the idiots in her house and looked at Severus with mock horror.
"I thought I could trust you!" She said, dramatically clutching her chest.
They were laughing and joking all the way to their charms lesson. Which is where it stopped. As they were entering the classroom, Lily felt something catch on her ankle. Looking down she saw an almost transparent string and recognised the set up with horror from a muggle tricks show she had seen when she was younger. She was about to run forward and pull Severus with her when the water crashed onto her and presumably, onto Severus. The cold water tore a shriek from her and she heard a laugh from ahead of her. Pushing her soggy hair from her eyes she blinked away the water in her eyes and saw the source. James Potter. She looked down at her new robes- soaked through- and with… glitter on them? She felt a lump form in her throat at the thought of washing all the glitter out of the thread- even magic might not be able to get it all out from between the strands. "Cute scream." He said. Was he mocking her?! That was it.
"What is your problem?!" She shouted and he looked shocked. Did he think she was so weak that she wouldn't fight back? Oh, she'd show him. "What do you want from me?" She snarled stepping forward and veiling her surprise at the weight of her robes as she moved. "Ever since I have started at this school, you," She prodded her finger into his chest, "And your little tag-along have been tormenting me and my best friend! What is your problem?!" She repeated the question and he blinked owlishly- looking like an absolute fool. He was a fool- it didn't come as a surprise. She spun away from him and towards her best friend who was watching darkly from the doorway. "Let's go Severus." She stormed out, pulling Severus along by his hand, not caring that she was missing her lesson. Professor Flitwick would understand.